Page 2 of Denying a Rakish Duke
“Well, perhaps you could attempt to be pleasant anyway.” Petunia shook her head and moved further into the room. “Might I present my other daughter, Vanessa? Vanessa this is Lord Tepperage,” Petunia said to the first gentleman in the room. He was a handsome enough fellow, Vanessa supposed, only in that his face was not pockmarked or blemished— but it was covered in wrinkles. The man had to be twice as old as Petunia herself, not a preferable choice for either of the women in the room. “I shall let you speak,” Petunia said and gave the couple some space.
“Ah, Lady Vanessa— charmed to see you out and about again. You have been so difficult to find on the dance floor; I was certain that you had fallen ill!”
“Nothing of the sort, My Lord. I am quite well,” Vanessa replied, looking around him to see which other men had showed up for the afternoon.
“Well, you look fair enough, I suppose,” the man’s smile fell from his face, and he stepped directly in front of Vanessa blocking her line of sight. “Perhaps then, the issue is that nobody wishes to dance with you?”
“Perhaps so, My Lord, or perhaps the prospect of dancing with gentlemen such as yourself turns my stomach.” Vanessa folded her arms across her chest and refused to look at him.
“Hm? What was that?” the man said, sticking his finger deep into his ear with an unbecoming squelching sound. Vanessa tried to refrain from making a face and failed.
“I said, my sister summoned me, My Lord.” Vanessa stepped back as he examined the bit of wax now underneath his fingernails. He motioned as if he was not finished speaking with her, but she quickly moved away.
There, surrounded by no less than eight suitors all bearing gifts, was Amanda. She was the second prettiest of all of the sisters in Vanessa’s opinion. Vanessa placed herself last on that list, and Amanda was second only to Seraphina. They were both pale of hair and skin with a natural pink blush on their cheeks. Amanda was petite with delicate features and full pretty pink lips. A natural dancer, she had a long slender neck to rival any ballerina. She sat perfectly poised and smiled and nodded politely to the gentlemen as they spoke. Somehow, she was also the only sister to be blessed with an abundance of patience as well.
“Petunia, Petunia dear, come sit here,” Uncle Tobias called to Vanessa’s mother. His beefy hand patted the settee beside him. He left only enough space for Petunia to squeeze herself onto the chair that should have easily been able to seat three or four people.
At her side, Petunia gave a deep and long-suffering sigh. Vanessa looked at her mother strangely. Uncle Tobias was never a warm or friendly person, and so the invitation to join him was very strange. Usually, he would avoid this sort of setting at all costs. He never entertained the suitors like this. Petunia pulled her arm from Vanessa and forced a polite smile as she went to wedge herself onto the settee where Tobias sat up straighter. He kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
There was no way to make it to Amanda’s side without attracting attention. While this meant that she could finally enjoy a biscuit … she could not help but to wonder what that interaction between her mother and her uncle was all about.
ChapterTwo
“Mama! Do you see all these gifts?” Amanda could not seem to wipe the smile from her face. She spun in a happy little circle with her arms outstretched to indicate all of the items that she had to sort through. Her skirts twirled around her slender legs. Amanda could not seem to pick where to start with all of the abundance that had been brought in just one day.
“I have lost track of all of the presents I received today! I fear that I am going to have quite a hard time remembering who brought what.” Amanda interlaced her fingers in front of her and tucked her joined hands underneath her chin as she crossed over to the desk under the window. “I shall need to write letters to them all, correct? I need to thank them for their visits and the generous gifts that they all brought with them!”
“Yes, Dear, but you do not need to write them right away!” Petunia was grateful for a reason to leave the settee. Her face ached from having to force her smile every time that Uncle Tobias leaned over to whisper into her ears with his wine-soaked breath.
Vanessa had watched the whole thing from her silent seat as the afternoon had slowly unfolded. She had quietly snuck jam and biscuits and had taken overly long in wiping at the corners of her mouth to keep herself from being too bored. She had sampled everything that the cook had prepared twice; all the while, she sat without a single person looking in her direction. She had nearly fallen asleep in her chair once or twice.
“I know that, Mama, but I should not like to forget anything! I know how important these first encounters are.” Amanda pulled stationary from the drawer and clutched it to her chest.
“Ah, yes, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, my dear niece.” Tobias rose, smoothing his waistcoat around his girth. He liked to claim that it was the stress of having to marry off all of his nieces that had caused him to gain over two stone in the last handful of months.
His comment caught both Vanessa and Petunia’s attention. He had never taken it upon himself to speak his opinion regarding the girls’ suitors before. In fact, he had taken personal issue with a few of them in the past. Vanessa could not recall a single comment that he had ever made aboutanyof the suitors that had come to call on her … back when there were still suitors coming to call on her. He was not a man that liked to be ignored, certainly, but he seemed overly invested in Amanda’s suitors.
Mother and daughter exchanged a curious glance, but Amanda seemed wholly ignorant to the strangeness of it all.
“I am just so flattered by the attention, Uncle, but I do not wish to appear too eager either. It is your advice that I should delay, then? I fear that I am still learning the process.”
“Perhaps we did you a disservice by not allowing you to observe some of your elder sister’s meetings with their suitors more closely over the past few years.” Petunia moved to Amanda and pulled the stationary from her hands. “Fear not, my dear, a bit of nerves at the beginning of your Season is to be expected. You need to not pressure yourself too much; you have plenty of social events in which you can practice until it comes more naturally to you.”
“Yes, precisely; you are young and have many options! The Season has only just started! All of that, just as I was saying!” Uncle Tobias finished the contents of his glass in one large gulp. He spoke with grandiose as if the whole speech had been his idea from the beginning. “Chin up, Dear; soon you shall pick your choice of suitors and then off into a Manor of your own!” Tobias lifted his now empty glass up higher, toasting himself.
“Yes, well, you do not need to rush yourself either, Sister,” Vanessa chimed in. She should not have said anything.
The focus of the room shifted from her little sister over to herself. The pleasant expression that Uncle Tobias had worn only a moment ago disappeared as he turned to Vanessa. “Yes, well, she should not delay either. A respectable gentleman will only be patient for so long. Amanda should not wish to find herself sitting alone in a parlor— souring like old milk.”
Vanessa flinched. Her uncle had never spoken to her like that before. She was at a total loss for words as she stood there in shock.
“That is quite enough!” Petunia said. Tobias seemed to catch himself all at once. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight anxiously from one foot to the other as Petunia glared at him.
“Quite right. Dearest Amanda has quite a bit to do this afternoon before this evening’s ball I presume?” he huffed and puffed up his chest to make himself seem more self-important.
Vanessa could not help but to wonder why he was suddenly bothering himself with the social calendar and what Amanda might be doing with her evenings. The way that he kept looking over at Petunia and quickly looking away made Vanessa very uncomfortable. If she was not mistaken, the tip of his nose and ears had turned red whenever Petunia had chastised him for insulting her daughter. “If the rumors are correct, the Duke of Willow is to be in attendance tonight, and I suppose that three out of four—”
Vanessa stood. “The Duke ofWillow!”she interjected, speaking boldly over Uncle Tobias’ voice. His face started to turn red with frustration at being interrupted. “You cannotpossiblybe serious!” Vanessa turned her attention to Petunia. “Mama, you cannot allow such a thing!”
